The several maids standing in the courtyard were all captivated by Is's appearance and the elegance in his manner of speaking.
Previously, they had been terrified at the thought of serving Celestial Dragons.
But after seeing Aurelius D. Virel Is—
All thoughts of escaping vanished from their minds.
Instead, an overwhelming desire arose within them—
They wanted Is to take them in.
Some even felt that staying by Is's side would be far better than the lives they had before.
"Are you satisfied with these maids, Saint Aurelius D. Virel Is?"
Seeing Is carefully observing the group, Dorak asked.
"Of course I'm satisfied, Saint Dorak."
Is smiled.
Hearing those words,
The maids standing outside the castle instantly became excited.
The moment they saw Is, following him had already become their wish.
Thankfully—
That wish had come true.
They hadn't been rejected.
"I wonder if Saint Aurelius D. Virel Is has any interest in gold, silver, and jewelry?"
Dorak asked with a smile.
Kegimendora's father believed that maids alone might not earn Is's forgiveness.
So he had also prepared a large amount of treasure.
"Gold and jewelry?"
"Bring them over and let me see."
Is spoke indifferently.
He wasn't particularly interested in wealth.
But free gifts were free gifts.
"There, all of you—"
"Bring the treasure over for Saint Aurelius D. Virel Is to inspect."
Dorak shouted toward the men in black standing by the castle entrance.
"Yes, Saint Dorak."
The men lifted several large treasure chests from the ground and carried them before Is.
Then they opened them.
The chests were filled to the brim with gold, silver, and precious jewels, reflecting under the sunlight.
Yet Is's expression remained calm throughout.
Compared to treasure,
He'd rather receive another exceptional maid.
"Are these treasures satisfactory, Saint Aurelius D. Virel Is?"
"Mm."
"Not bad."
Is nodded lightly.
Although he had little interest in valuables,
Accepting them brought no disadvantages.
"Then…"
"Will you forgive Saint Kegimendora?"
Dorak asked further.
"I never took his matter to heart in the first place."
Is replied dismissively.
"That's good, then."
Dorak nodded in relief.
This time, helping Kegimendora's father had earned him quite a few benefits as well.
Now that the task had been successfully completed,
He could finally relax.
"All of you, move the treasures into Saint Aurelius D. Virel Is's castle."
Dorak continued ordering.
"Yes, Saint Dorak."
The men in black carried the treasures into the reception hall and placed them inside.
"You've been thoughtful, Saint Dorak."
Is nodded.
"You flatter me, Saint Aurelius D. Virel Is."
"It was only a small favor."
After the men returned outside, Dorak continued:
"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now, Saint Aurelius D. Virel Is."
"Then I won't see you out."
Is nodded.
"No need, no need."
Dorak was already departing as he spoke.
After Dorak left,
Is shifted his gaze back toward the maids.
He had accepted several more maids this time.
Though he had previously considered releasing some because there were already too many in the household—
These women were all among the finest of the finest.
Even he found it difficult to let them go.
"Minian."
Is called out.
Roz Minian hurried over from inside the castle and asked softly:
"Master, what are your orders?"
"I'll leave these people to you."
"Teach them the rules here."
"Understood, Master."
Roz Minian agreed immediately.
Is nodded before turning away from the front courtyard.
He couldn't be bothered explaining the rules himself.
Leaving it to Roz Minian was enough.
After all—
He still needed to continue training.
…
Sabaody Archipelago, somewhere within one of its regions.
Whitebeard appeared there, carrying Murakumogiri over his shoulder.
After the Rocks Pirates disbanded,
He had recovered some of the treasures hidden by the crew.
Then he bought a ship and recruited members—
Forming his own pirate crew.
After hearing the news that Byrnndi World possessed Pluton's blueprint,
His analysis led him to conclude that Byrnndi World was likely still in the first half of the Grand Line.
So he had come directly from the New World.
However,
At Sabaody,
He encountered someone familiar.
"Gurarara…"
"Shiki, it's been a while."
Whitebeard greeted the Golden Lion with a grin.
"Edward?"
"Why are you here too?"
Shiki frowned.
Wasn't Whitebeard supposed to be recruiting in the New World?
Why had he come to Sabaody?
"Our goals are the same, Shiki."
Whitebeard reminded him with a smile.
"Damn it…"
"You want to compete with me for Pluton's blueprint, Edward?"
Shiki asked darkly.
He hadn't expected even Whitebeard to be interested in Pluton.
But after thinking about it—
That was only natural.
Pluton was an Ancient Weapon said to possess the power to destroy the world.
Who in this world wouldn't desire such a thing?
"That sort of treasure belongs to whoever has the ability to claim it."
Whitebeard sneered.
Pluton was an Ancient Weapon—
A legendary power capable of destroying the world.
Even Whitebeard was tempted.
"Only I deserve to obtain the Ancient Weapon—"
"The blueprint for Pluton."
"You can forget about it, Edward."
Shiki lit a cigar and exhaled thick smoke with a cold laugh.
"Heh…"
"Shiki, you still love talking big as much as ever."
Whitebeard mocked.
"You want to fight me here, Edward?"
Shiki's expression turned cold.
"You think I'm afraid of you?"
Whitebeard casually raised Murakumogiri and pointed it toward him.
The two had never gotten along particularly well aboard Rocks' ship.
Their relationship had only been superficial.
Now that the Rocks Pirates had disbanded—
Neither had any reservations about fighting over a disagreement.
At Sabaody Archipelago,
A great battle erupted between Whitebeard and Golden Lion.
…
Meanwhile—
At Water 7,
Marine personnel had already blended into every corner of the city in disguise.
Like ordinary tourists,
They wandered through Water 7.
But in truth,
They were secretly searching for suspicious individuals.
Garp was also disguised and moving through Water 7.
As he passed a shipyard,
He suddenly heard faint cries for help.
Bang!
Garp smashed apart the shipyard's entrance with a single punch.
Inside,
He saw a pirate holding a blade against a shipwright.
"You're one of Byrnndi World's crew, aren't you?"
Seeing this scene,
Garp immediately grinned and questioned him.
"H-How did you know?!"
The pirate froze.
He couldn't understand how the man had recognized his identity at a glance.
"Hahahaha…!"
"To think I'd actually run into one."
Garp burst into loud laughter while slapping his stomach.
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